


Sweetly Sounding

by Desseruh



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Desperation, F/M, Fanfiction, Haruno Sakura-centric, Heartbreak, Implications, Let's Go by Stuck in the Sound, Medic Haruno Sakura, Medical Procedures, Missed Chance, Naru/Saku, Song Inspired, Strong Haruno Sakura, Strong Uzumaki Naruto, Teaching, Too Late for Love, Training, Uchiha Sasuke Being an Asshole, Unresolved problems, Uzumaki-Hyuuga Wedding, Wholesome Tidbits, self hatred
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:34:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desseruh/pseuds/Desseruh
Summary: Sakura's hands flipped through her mail: bills and market-store ads until she came to a pretty purple envelope. It was an invitation to the Uzumaki-Hyuuga wedding.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke(Past), Haruno Sakura/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Kudos: 22





	1. Leg Day

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Naruto, but do own the cramped hands that wrote this plot.   
> Inspired By:  
> Let’s Go- Stuck in the Sound

_ “You know, we really are the most selfish kunoichi out there _ .”

Sakura’s inner voice had been troublesome since the moment she read through that invitation, switching between anger, confusion, and sadness. Bipolar, almost, in the way she spun the emotions on a dime. 

But Sakura couldn’t blame her. At least  _ she  _ was being emotional, unlike her. No, she was blocking it out, letting her inner self do all the ranting and questioning while she packed a scroll with her belongings. It was a petty thing to do, but the moment she saw the invitation she sent an acceptance letter to the offered a long mission in Suna. 

Return time: Unknown. 

She was going to get flack from everyone. 

Well, fuck it.

Piling the last of her heavy textbooks onto her low-set coffee table, Sakura let out a sigh as she scratched at her cheek. One month in the hot desert to avoid watching her best friend get married to someone else. Fine. That was fine. Maybe she would get citizenship and train with their shinobi forces. Sakura chuckled dryly; “Everyday is leg day when you’re running from your problems.”

Pulling a scroll from a drawer under the coffee table, pen and ink ready, Sakura prepared to use the enclosing technique when a loud tap came from her kitchen window. She stood there, her hands posed for the seals, hoping it was a figment of her imagination. Of course, it was simply because her house was a mess and not at all related to her inner angst. Not at all. 

It, however, was not a figment of her imagination when the tapping continued; louder this time in a rapid staccato. To her utter displeasure. 

Sakura sighed and let her hands fall from in front of her, slapping against her thighs loudly as she gave off a short sigh. No point in running; she had forgotten to mask her chakra. So, with her mind on the fact she would be leaving in the next hour like the coward she was, Sakura stepped into the kitchen. Falsely determined stride and her mouth in a straight line, she walked to the window where the blinds were closed tightly. With delicately scarred fingers, she pulled them open with a hard tug to reveal Sai, perched at the window like a bird. 

Sakura subtly hoped he was there to tell her good luck on her mission to Suna, but the little deep-periwinkle envelope clutched in his hand was the sign he was there for much more. Silently she wondered how far shutting the blinds on him would go. 

Sai seemed to make the decision for her as he pushed open the unlocked window before fearlessly stepping into the half empty sink, crushing a saucer under his foot. Sakura studied his cold face, unrelenting as he slaughtered her pour china as he fully stepped into her house. 

“I have a front door, Sai.” Sakura grumbled as she walked away from him and to the fridge, which had only water bottles and a single rotting pineapple. She made a face as she pulled two water bottles from the top shelf. 

“Only have water, but I am sure-” He was in her face now, right up against her as she turned from the refrigerator. Choking back a shout of question, Sakura took an automatic step backward as Sai’s dark eyes seemed to stare straight through her. A flush of embarrassment crossed her face, as she looked right back with a slight glare. 

“Sai! You can’t just-”

“You’re heartbroken.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement, spoken like a fact. 

Sakura’s face formed into a slight grimace, her features drawing in as she tried copying Sai’s emotionless reverie. It was useless. She silently noted to burn all his dumb psychology textbooks the next time she had free time. 

“As long as he’s happy. I want him to be happy.” The words had burned her mouth in their truth. Of course, Sakura couldn’t shake her inner selfishness, no, she would not go to the wedding. She had cried over a boy that would never love her and lost the only one that truly ever had. Her heart couldn’t take this much abuse anymore, but she truly did hope that Naruto would be happy with Hinata. She hoped he would grin and be loud as possible. 

“What are you going to do, Sakura?” Sai’s words coaxed her out of her mind and she silently mused about he hadn’t called her ugly. She was feeling ugly. 

Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her disheveled hair before sidestepping her teammate to reenter her sparse living room. Sai’s measured footsteps followed behind her as she made her way to the coffee table sitting down one of the water bottles before downing the contents, one after the other. 

“A mission?”

“To Suna.” Sakura responded breathlessly as she put down the now empty bottle of water. “I’m going to train their medical staff.”

Sakura didn’t meet Sai’s gaze. She refused too. Cowardice seemed to be her middle name and she didn’t want to see it confirmed in Sai’s eyes. 

“I see.”

“Give them my best. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Silence met her ears, so Sakura simply rechecked her books and medical stock on the table. Thumbing through herbal diagrams and diagnostic symptoms, she knew she had it all. Stalling until she was due to go. 

Sai didn’t give any indication of his inner thoughts as he studied her, his burning black gaze gouging a hole in her jounin uniform. She wished he showed some form of anger at her, instead of being so dead gazed, but it seemed that was all she was going to get. 

_ ‘What would you expect? _ ’

“Look Sai, I am going to leave in a few, so…” It was her subtle way of telling him that she wanted to be alone. She would be alone for a very long time after this and it was time to get started. 

“Naruto will want you to be there.”

Sakura gave a harsh chuckle before giving him a wave of her delicate hand. “It doesn’t matter. He’ll be fine. He bounces back.” 

Then he was there, really close as he clamped a hand around her upper arm. It was a knee-jerk reaction on her part to fight back, but something about the situation was in stark contrast to the usual behavior of the boy. It made her freeze. 

“Sakura.” Sai whispered into her ear, being annoyingly quiet in her empty house. “Something isn’t right.”

Then she noticed where he was looking; right at the windowsill in the adjacent window. It made her tongue stick to the roof of her mouth when something swayed by. A shadow. Could have been a bird. Could have been a cat. But the familiar chink of kunai was all she needed to break out in a cold sweat. There was nothing more to talk about. 

“I need to go Sai.”

“I know.”

Then he was gone. In a flash of ivory and black he vanished out the way he came and Sakura was left alone. Again, to her small home. 


	2. The Dumb One

Sakura, equipment pack strapped on and rotting pineapple in hand finally exited her meek-looking house. It was a boxy, leaky thing with dated appliances and it was flush with the walls of some very noisy neighbors. 

But it was  _ hers. _ And after months and months of trekking back here after long days, nights, and in-betweens at the hospital; it was a comfortable place. A nest. 

A web. 

She needed to break free. Work as shinobi. Live as she did when she was apart of Team 7.  _ Without the ‘team’.  _

That's what she would tell herself, at least. 

Sakura stuck the key in the lock and turned it slowly, the clunking mechanism from within was like a siren, a beacon, to her life-changing. It left her staring at the lock for a second longer. 

Would it really be that bad? 

No more of the idiotic banter, the tricks for dates. The innuendos would end, finally and people would no longer mistake him for her boyfriend. She had rejected him enough, she should be  _ happy.  _

_ Jumping _ for  _ joy.  _

But she wasn’t. Sakura was… sad. Terribly sad. A type of sadness that crawled through her heart like an ill-intended worm. It wasn’t like when Sasuke left, where she was just weeping and crying and moaning. No, this was an odd feeling. Like something had been twisted in her heart, leaving her unable to fully take a breath. As if her heart has been molded and moved, creating a deep-seated ache in her chest. 

Sai had called her heartbroken. 

That was a good word for what she was feeling. 

Taking her key from the lock, she shoved it in the slowly dying potted plant outside her front door- 

Fuck. It. 

-and the moldy pineapple  _ just barely _ made it into the trash with an undignified toss of her hand as she entered the main road. 

_ ‘Just another day, Sakura. One step at a time until you get to Suna.’ _

One step at a time.

But her feet dragged and the Hokage tower seemed so distant, so  _ far away.  _

Would she be stopped on the way there? Would friends ask her how her day had been going, how she was feeling? 

The thought made her sick. 

The wedding may be coming out of left field, but what did she really know anymore? She only worked. Worked and denied any company for her blonde friend, leaving their connections a shambling mess. Dying and disintegrating into  _ nothing _ . 

It wasn’t like Sasuke in this situation. She hadn’t stormed off, leaving rough and jagged wounds where bond once lay solid. No, they had time to scab and slough off. 

Would Naruto even realize she was gone?

She… hoped not. 

…

The thought made her sad. But, Sakura needed to mend and Naruto needed to focus on his  _ fiance.  _ He needed to be happy. 

She needed to move on. 

Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Sakura finally straightened her back and proceeded down the street, just starting to gather the morning crowds. A low roar of voices coming in with the sunrise. 

It was easy, blending in with both citizen and ninja alike, and she was thankfully not confronted by anyone. 

It was what she needed. A lonely walk for such a lonely, sad bitch. 

‘ _ Coward.’  _ her inner mumbled without any real ilk behind the words. 

Sakura couldn’t agree more. 

When she finally made it to Tsunade’s office, she was met with a steady, cold look. Sakura didn’t even feign ignorance as to why, and simply stared back. Emerald against honey brown. 

Tsunade folded her hand on her desk, shuffling papers as she leaned back to look down her nose at Sakura, a thin-lipped frown stagnant and vicious on her stern face. It felt as if her soul was on display under that scrutinizing gaze. 

“Are you even going to  _ attempt _ at explaining yourself?” Her sensei finally spoke, bending forward as she did so; one hand gripping the bridge of her nose and those piercing eyes finally closing. 

Sakura grimaced, the blunt tone of the Sannin making her want to kick her feet like a scorned child. There was nothing to explain, nothing to save her from the disappointment. Nothing to save her honor. 

“I can’t,” Sakura said slowly, finally gaining her voice after a moment of contemplation. “There is nothing  _ to  _ explain.” 

Tsunade looked at her over the hand still gripping the bridge of her nose, eyes blinking open. It was like being read. Even her own mother’s glare couldn’t go head to head with the soul-reading gaze of Tsunade’s. For a moment, Sakura wasn’t even sure that she would be allowed to leave. 

But, Tsunade’s hand finally fell to the cup of sake, masquerading as a cup of tea, before downing it, tossing her head back as she did so. 

“And what are you going to do when you come back?” Tsunade pressed, her eyes narrowing to slits. “Ignore him? Work yourself to death? What?”

It was finished with a slam of her hand on the desk, the wood splintering under the older woman’s sheer, unintentional strength. Thankfully, the papers and documents that needed attention were making their homes in stacks on the floor, leaving them safe from the ire. 

Sakura didn’t even flinch. No, instead her shoulders slumped and her eyes cast themselves downward. 

“I  _ just… _ ” Sakura started clumsily, the self-serving words falling dead on her tongue, allowing others to sprout from their corpse. “What- what do you want me to say? That I was the dumb one?”

“Ugh, Sakura-”

“I’m a coward! I am a selfish coward, and I am  _ running.” _

Tsunade pinched her eyes closed at this, taking a deep breath through her nose and out of her mouth. “Sakura, you will regret this.”

It wasn’t a threat, not a promise. It wasn’t a boss speaking to their employee. And it certainly wasn’t a Hokage speaking to a shinobi. It was a friend, a maternal figure, speaking  _ as a friend _ . 

“I-I regret a  _ lot  _ of things. But I will not regret tearing Naruto away from happiness. I will not regret making sure  _ I don’t fuck anything else up _ .”

Something wet trailed down her cheek and into the collar of her jounin vest, burying itself against her skin. When did she start crying?

But it wasn’t the screaming, wailing cries of her younger self. This was a quiet slip of tears, creeping from the corner of her eye. It still wasn’t dignified, but she didn’t really care.

What a mess she had made of everything. 

Tsunade, finally letting her own shoulders slump, let the defeat write itself across her face. Her hand dove beneath her broken desk and finally, a scroll was laid out for her. It was A-rank, despite the lack of combat expected, but it was a highly important mission. Lives would be saved and the alliances between Kohona and Suna would be strengthened. It was  _ important _ and specifically tailored to her. 

Sakura would have taken it if it had a ‘D-rank’ slapped across it.

Without another word, Sakura grabbed the scroll and disappeared out the door.


	3. Hands for Destroying Cities

Sakura stifled a sigh as she lept branch to branch, high over the undergrowth of the thick woods surrounding Konoha. Of course, it was hot and sweaty and Sakura didn’t really need to be  _ moving this fast. _

But here she was. Leaping tree to tree like her ass was on fire as sweat rolled down her neck and back. 

It would get worse when she reached the desert. 

Perhaps, and the thought made Sakura giggle, she would die of sunstroke before she even reached Suna. Wouldn’t that be fantastic? Delightful _?! _

She wouldn’t have to live through this anymore and her friends would remember her for who she used to be:

Strong. Composed. Professional and cold, like a  _ scalpel.  _

Instead of the poorly packaged mess that she was currently frolicking about as. Like a box of rotting clementines that someone would eat without noticing the mold. 

_We’re so gross._ Her inner self mused, breathlessly within the walls of Sakura’s head. 

“I know.” 

There was a soft, pregnant pause that drifted between the two minds. Bitter. Wicked. 

_ Do you think they will have ugly children? _

It was meant as bitter. Sakura knew it. Her inner self knew it. It was meant to be mean.

But the words came out a whimper. A soft agony that could be tasted through the mental link, dancing between minds. 

“No,” Sakura answered, her voice breaking in her head. “They’ll start out with wide and crooked smiles that take up their entire face.”

_ “They’ll be loud. And have too much energy. And eat too much.” _

“Yeah…”

_ “Yeah.” _

Sakura, despite the fact she was a heart-ridden woman, had never thought about kids. Perhaps because she didn’t necessarily think she would survive until she was able to have them. Perhaps because she was greedy and didn’t want something to get between her and  _ Sasuke.  _ Then there was her pink hair and her large forehead. 

There was no proper influence to desire children either. Sakura was born into a shinobi family, yes, but it wasn’t...fancy. It didn’t have the prowess of the Uchiha, the skill of the Uzumaki, or the brutal and cold Hyuuga. 

She was Harano. Not  _ a _ Harano. 

She had no cousins or siblings, but there was nothing to be passed down. Nothing to keep passing down. 

No, scratch that. 

Anger issues. And pink hair.

She could pass down anger issues and pink hair.  _ Great.  _

Sakura steadied herself on a wide branch, her feet seemingly laced with lead. Her eyes wet and glistening, sea-foam green and surrounded by an edge of red. At least she wasn’t crying yet. 

Yet. 

Sweeping her hand tenderly over her eyes and she rubbed at her nose- stinging with unshed tears. There was an awful feeling plugging up her chest, leaky and cold.

Sakura took a breath through her nose and huffed it out her mouth, her eyes turning vicious. Her pink brows turned in and they cast a shadow down her face. 

This was her fault. She needed to get over it. 

Maybe, years from now, she would meet someone that was proper for her. They would adore each other. Give each other attention. 

He wouldn’t stab her or leave her knocked out on a bench. And she would give him the affection he deserved. 

And maybe he would look like the sun in human form. 

Sakura took a sip of her water flask, letting the liquid roll around her tongue. It was midswallow when she felt like she was being watched. 

Watched?

Watched. She could feel it. 

Now, she wasn’t out of practice. Being a shinobi of her age did that. Years of training and years of, for lack of a better word, fear. Fear of death and failure, if she wanted to save her own pride. 

So, her chakra had been performing since she had started her journey. Scoping out the world around her- accounting for natural fauna down to the smallest worm. Any flicker of chakra.

So being watched and not being able to trace it put her nerves on edge. It sliced through her. Chilling her. 

Sakura paused, taking another faint sip of water as chakra gathered in her fingertips. Tough, sinewy. She could fell cities with these hands and the power tingled wonderfully when she did. 

Sakura put her waterskin away, acting nonchalant and unworried. Keeping her eyes from snapping around and alerting whomever- if they were there- of her knowledge. 

Adjusting her pack, she took a breath and feinted a leap to the next tree-

-and rammed her chakra infused fist into the bark instead, pushing her chakra in and down through the roots, scattering the earth under her and creating a horrible uprise in soil and flooding the air with debris. 

Without missing a beat, Sakura slammed her chakra back into herself. Hidden in the flood of soil and roots floating around her in a mushroom cloud. 

In the absence of sight, because if it went one way it would go the other, Sakura let her ears work for her. Twisting and shifting slightly as she moved 

Of course, the was the sound of rocks falling, of moist tree flesh breaking and splintering, and the over lacing rumble of shifting earth. Then, behind all the rubble, was the patterned noise of feet hitting branches. The panic of an unknown hit creating a mess of their situation.

_ Tiger. Boar. Ox. Dog. _

Not a common set of hand signs for her clones, but it  _ worked. _ And that’s all she needed as she, her true body, slipped like a whisper from the cloud and left the clone behind to play the part. 

Had she not been alone, without a team, perhaps she would have initiated an actual fight. She wasn’t fond of the duck and retreat method, but she was a  _ healer.  _ One with superhuman strength and a mean right hook, but she needed to be intelligent about  _ some _ things in her life. 

Like whether or not she should actually make it to her access point at Suna in time, or perhaps get an injury in fighting some unknown forest stalkers that hung so far back that she hadn’t even noticed until she stopped talking to herself. 

Mentally of course. 

Hopefully. 

Why did she care again? 

“ _ You don’t, now get a move on!” _ Her inner voice wasn’t fearful, just simply ground it out as Sakura built her heigh back up through the trees. Thankful for the distraction from  _ Naruto.  _ Thankful for a bigger reason to get to Suna faster. 

  
  



	4. The Sand

The access point had come miles outside of Suna and it had come and gone with a younger genin ninja guiding her the rest of the way. He was quiet and small, and his eyes were hidden behind protective glasses. 

He had welcomed her with a stiff “Harano Sakura”, that sounded like he was trying to put on a deeper voice, as he looked over signed papers. 

The whole interaction was stiff, actually. As if he was actually quite nervous for her to be there. An air of uneasiness picked up by Sakura, her years of experience trumping his inflected voice. 

If she wasn’t so...exhausted she may have questioned him. But she had both a three-and-a-half-day journey under her belt and a heavy sadness in her heart, and if she were honest with herself, she didn’t care right now.

As the genin led her, Sakura made a point to try and focus  _ only _ on the days and months ahead. Training, healing, teaching, training, healing, teaching-

And there would be no Naruto to ask her to get ramen. But there also wouldn’t be a Sai to piss her off, or an Ino to one-up her, or a Tsunade to offer her sake while Shizune tried to get her to put down the bottle. 

But there was also no wedding, no embarrassment. She could quietly mourn without the Hyuuga fanfare reminding her that she was a dumbass. 

The gate opened for them both, and to Sakura’s surprise, she wasn’t met with anyone. People milled around the streets under large canopies looking as dusty as she was. There was a smell of something overpoweringly sugary in the air. 

It was a friendly discourse, natural chaos. The second law of thermodynamics. 

Sakura must have taken too much time in quiet appreciation, having only been in Suna in days of distemper and battle, because the genin had taken to quietly bouncing from foot to foot. 

Why was he so nervous? Was it her? 

Ugly thoughts spurned under her mind, as she unconsciously compared the kid to Naruto, Sasuke, and herself when they were young and would get into trouble. They would have to take sad, throw away quests for weeks until they got in better standing with the Third-

Before Orochimaru, before Jiraya, before Tsunade. Before Sasuke left, and then Naruto left-

And when only she remained in Konohagakure. A fragment left behind, though she wouldn’t trade her training for the world. Neosanin- Her medical ability, her chakra control. The lovely diamond in the center of her forehead, Strength of a Hundred. 

The genin looked to her like a child born of distemper, though she couldn’t see his eyes. 

Sakura gave him a half-smile. “Sorry, it has just been a while.”

The kid gave a short nod, and his shoulders relaxed slightly before he turned and began to hurriedly lead her through busy streets toward the Kazekage’s office, marked broadly in the middle of the dusty city. As they got further in, the smell shifted from sweet to a stuffy smell of hot bodies as they stumbled in and around the building, covered in dense white robes. 

She would need to follow the fashion, eventually. Her arms and legs were burned from the sun, even if she healed them constantly, they left pucked red smooches on her skin. A dry heat without the flush of dense moisture that her homeland had, without the cover. 

The genin guided her through the door, the inside brimming with forced air and coolants that knocked the temperature from a swelter to a chilly fridge door. It shocked her a bit, and Sakura found that she perked. It was nice- very nice. 

Sakura was shuffled through hallways and doors until they settled outside the main office. It was quiet- a severe and utter difference from the loud mutters that could  _ constantly _ be heard from the door to Tsunade’s office. 

Gaara. Despite all the...body-crushing that he had done at his young age, Sakura found that she did enjoy his company- when he did converse with her. It was rare, but after saving Kankuro from Sasori’s poison, he had been the Gaara version of warm to her. 

And she found that, just like Naruto, she could only admire him. 

It was a few minutes until a group of Sand-Ninja, a team with a jonin leader, stepped out the door. 

One of the genins gave her guide a nasty look while the others pointedly ignored him. He shuffled next to her and tucked his chin into his sandy shirt as he once again, shuffled from foot to foot. 

_ I wonder what he did.  _

Sakura gave his shoulder a pat. It was small, and she was sure she could do more but- 

He reminded her of Naruto. Though his head was a stiff, wavy brown and his skin was more of a reddish tint than brown-

No. No no no, that was severely unhealthy. To compare everything and everyone to  _ Naruto. _ It left a bad taste in her mouth and her stomach turned sour. 

She would take this time, away from all of  _ it, _ and get better. Move on. 

He seemed to take her half-hearted comfort, however and stilled in his tweaking movement. 

“Enter.” The sound was muffled by the door, but firm. 

The genin scrambled slightly before pushing the door open ahead of her and welcoming her in. 

Gaara looked no different than he did the last time she had seen him. Stuck in an in-between of boyishness and manhood. His hair was still wild and there was a decidedly soft look to his seafoam eyes. 

There was a corner of purple on his desk. The slippery scrawl was familiar. But Sakura ignored it, didn’t look at it full on. Nothing. If he knew, fine, he would know eventually.

“Welcome, Sakura.” His voice was pleasant as he took a scroll out from under his desk, unwinding it and letting it cover the files stacked up. Including that periwinkle purple envelope. 

“You will be training Section 5A of the trauma unit first. Gumomaru will show you where that is in the two days’ time.” There was a look that Gaara gave the genin- Gumomaru- that was distinctly familiar. A mentor sternness. “I know that you would prefer to start immediately-”

-The sternness was transferred from Gumomaru to her, albeit a bit more teasing-

“But I would rather have you well-rested.”

Well then. He knew her better than she knew him- But, clearly, she wasn’t the observant type. Or, at least, she thought she had been until that  _ purple envelope _ showed up. 

_ When did Naruto start dating Hinata?  _

Did. Not. Matter. 

“Understood, Gaara.” Sakura let the corners of her mouth twitch, genuine as he gave her a small expression of happiness. 

“Temari and Kankuro are currently out of the village at the moment.” The professionalism faltered and crumbled, Gaara appearing more relaxed as he looked over her mission scroll once more. Gumomaru seemed to be put off next to her, shuffling as if he didn’t know what to expect. 

“Running solo, Gaara?” She let herself prod. “And you are telling me to take it easy?”

That was the sound of air escaping his nose, his version of a laugh. “Well, Sakura, I don’t need to be told when I am tired. Tsunade and Shizune seem to have a large file on your… stubbornness.” 

“Oh of course. Wouldn’t want things to actually get done.” 

“Hmm. Yes, yes. Excuses.” He crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back. She could almost hear the question in his mind- but, he was Gaara. They had an acquaintanceship, maybe a small friendship, but that was as far as it went. 

“But as you said, I am flying solo as of right now. When Temari and Kankuro get back from their missions I would like to invite you over, as would they.” 

Sakura pushed the bad feeling to the bottom of her gut. They were not on such an intimate, friendly level that they would question why she was here and not in Konohagakure for Naruto’s wedding. No. They  _ wouldn’t.  _

“Cha, you bet!” She gave him a genuine, full-faced smile despite her worries. 

“Good, good.” He bent back to the table and rebound the scroll. “One of the medical-nin in the hospital will direct you when you get there. Gumomaru will show you to your apartment.”

“Oh-ho? Not the dorms?” 

There was a look that passed over his face, a certain scrunch of the nose as if he smelt something sour. “No.” 

“Uh- right. Ok.” There was a pause as he tied the scroll back and placed it under his desk again. Gumomaru was already at the door, his hand on the knob. “I’ll be seeing you, Gaara.”

He was already rummaging for another scroll as he waved her off. She could hear and sense several chakra signatures outside the door and she had to cringe at just how many there were. 

Gumomaru hid his face for the most part as he walked quickly from Gaara’s office and out of the building. So fast, that Sakura had to keep an even faster pace than she did when she was working at the hospital. A near jog-

It was only a few blocks before they entered a separate building, one that was close contact to the demented-looking hospital, a giant and new building. Hell, the building was dwarfed by the massive hospital, settling into the shade like a crouching beast. 

The inside was cool but barren. The floors a sharp sandstone color and the walls a clashing grey. 

The desk, settled into an ominous corner, was tended by an old woman who took one look at them and pushed forward an ugly set of old keys and a pamphlet before going back to a very, very familiar porno novel. 

Sakura shoved both of them into her vest’s pocket, trying not to think of Kakashi at a time like this. 

Gumomaru, who stood slightly behind her, shuffled. 

Ok. Time for random acts of kindness, Sakura supposed. Perhaps it would brighten her day. 

“Gumomaru?” She turned to him and gave him a soft smile. She felt in need of a shower, but it could wait. “Would you mind showing me your favorite place to eat? It’s on me.” 

Even from behind his goggles and the shifty looking down-casted-ness, there was a spark of excitement. A smile broke out, and Sakura noted that he was missing two teeth on the left side of his face.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her along, a startling difference compared to the withdrawnness he had for the entire time he had been in her presence. 

Through the streets and down alleys, it got dingy and dark quickly. Graffiti and carvings on walls appeared and there was a general feeling of offness. Of course, she knew of Gaara’s attempts to revamp some of the city, but there were sticky spots in all villages. 

It was down one more street until Gumomaru let go and ran ahead, excitement radiating from him. And there, in an alcove, was a hanging sign. A fried rice stall that smelt delicious and held a type of hole-in-the-wall vibe to it. 

Sakura pushed thoughts of Ichiraku out and followed behind, a smile firmly creasing her face. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fanfiction repost.   
> Please read and review.


End file.
